San Diego troops head to Middle East

CAMP PENDLETON -- About 4,300 San Diego County-based Marines are
among the U.S. military combat force assembling in the Middle East
region that by next week will include four of the Navy's dozen
aircraft carriers.

The troops could be called on to conduct or support expected
strikes against terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere that U.S.
officials believe are responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks in New
York City and Washington, D.C.

The growing military presence in the region includes the Navy
destroyer USS John Paul Jones and about 2,100 Marines and 2,000
Navy personnel on three San Diego-based Navy amphibious ships on a
six-month overseas deployment.

Another 2,200 Marines left their Southern California bases
earlier this week for the upcoming "Bright Star" multinational war
games. About 71,000 U.S. troops will participate in this year's
exercise, beginning Oct. 8 through Nov. 1.

The troops could be kept in the region indefinitely to support
any U.S. operations against the terrorists, which some military
analysts and foreign officials believe could happen soon. But
military officials cautioned that no decision has been made on
changing their schedule.

U.S. forces are deploying to several areas where they
potentially could launch missile or aerial strikes and begin
commando-style raids or special operations on terrorist training
camps in Afghanistan and other countries. Officials believe the
camps are associated with Osama bin Laden, who U.S. officials say
masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks.

The U.S. armada operating in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian
Sea includes the Camp Pendleton-based 15th Marine Expeditionary
Unit, which has about 2,200 Marines and sailors on the San
Diego-based USS Peleliu, USS Dubuque and USS Comstock. The three
ships carry a crew of about 2,000 sailors and officers, including a
platoon of Navy SEAL commandos and naval special-warfare boat
crews.

The 15th MEU, commanded by Marine Col. Thomas D. Waldhauser, is
comprised of an infantry battalion and squadron that includes
attack and transport helicopters and attack jets. The unit is
capable of conducting some two dozen specialized missions,
including citizen evacuations, humanitarian assistance and food
distribution, raids and pilot rescues.

Stephen H. Baker, a retired Navy rear admiral and senior fellow
at Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C., noted that
the Marines, who completed a three-day humanitarian relief mission
in embattled East Timor, "have just gone through a full rehearsal
of helicopter and ship-to-shore landings off East Timor in
preparation of such a contingency operation."

The Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade,
commanded by Maj. Gen. James Mattis, will lead a Marine force
during the "Bright Star" exercise. Local officials said units
include Marine Fighter-Attack Squadron 121 from the Miramar Marine
Corps Air Station, KC-130 Hercules turboprop support from Marine
Transport-Refueler Squadron 352 based at Miramar and other units
from Camp Pendleton, Miramar and the Marines' desert training
center in Twentynine Palms.

The Americans will join troops from Egypt, Britain, France,
Germany, Italy, Spain, Kuwait and Jordan in the biannual
exercise.